Oh happy day.

I love the phrase… “As happy as a pig in the mud.” I think I will have to ask my friend Cassie about this one. She would know, as she is an expert when it comes to all things porcine. But it does beg the question: Are pigs truly happy in the mud?

People search for happiness all their lives.

I have heard this next one, time and again, over the years. Previously, I had always thought it was a bunch of bunk. “Happiness can only be found within ourselves.”

Yet the older I get, the more I have been considering this. And. I think there is a great verity in this. Happiness, is a lot of what we make it. We find our own joy. (Disclaimer: “It ain’t always easy….”)

A lot of times we turn to outside circumstances which we THINK will make us happy. How someone is treating us. Finding a job which pays more money. Going to a movie, or out to dinner. Getting a great birthday present. Throwing a party. Going on vacation. Buying a puppy, or new clothes, or a car.

While all of these things, may seem to effect our mood in the moment, or day, or week…. none of it is the lasting true happiness for which we search. A lot of times, we end up right back in the same emotional place as we were before.

I am slowly learning about the big miracle of joyful existence. I am beginning to see. Where we are an any moment, offers us so much. It is in becoming aware of all the wonder around us, that we embark on our way to joy.

The beautiful look in your dog’s eyes. A hot cup of black coffee, first thing in the morning. The wonders of salt and pepper. These are things that we may overlook or take for granted on any given day.

But they truly are gifts. And when we start acknowledging all the terrific things around us, we start to feel the delight.

We also find this through stillness. Quieting our minds and our hearts of all that is buzzing around us. And when we are still and quiet, we can begin to feel the joy of these ever precious moments that are right now. Right now, with what we have, wherever we are. This is where the happiness lies.

And.. of course… in the mud. A beautiful, beautiful, yard full of mud.

When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself. — Tecumseh

Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let’s not be afraid to receive each day’s surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity. — Henri Nouwen

A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live. — Bertrand Russel